Financial Crisis Hits Local Hospitals

12.47.12pm GMT Tue 23rd Mar 2004

Both major local district hospitals - Kingston and the West Middlesex - face serious pressure on services after announcing serious expected financial deficits this financial year; despite a record injection of cash from the government.

Based on an analysis of the financial returns from the five strategic health authorities in the capital the West Middlesex is reported to have a deficit of £2.5 million, Kingston £0.8 million and Hammersmith, £3.5 million. Hammersmith, which serves local cancer patients, is reported to have cut its radiotherapy service. The West Middlesex is reported to have turned away 15 critically ill patients in the last year.

Vincent Cable said he was "appalled" by the reports: "vast amounts of tax payers' money is - quite rightly - being ploughed into the NHS to improve services for patients and then we read of these disastrous shortfalls in provision and in finance. What the hell is going on?"

Vincent Cable has written to each of the hospitals to ask for an explanation and a briefing on the seriousness of the problem: "I was particularly alarmed to hear about Hammersmith since only a few weeks ago the hospital wrote to reassure me that the excessive waits by local women for radiotherapy treatment were being cut".